Warren Wilson Prepares for Residence Hall Closures as Winter Break Moves Closer
Harley Woods | November 24, 2021
Quinn Bonney
Resident of Sunderland, Quinn Bonney, locks his door.
During the academic year and between semesters, residence halls on Warren Wilson College (WWC) campus close. Residence hall closure is normal for higher education but looks slightly different at WWC.
Why do dorms close over breaks?
A significant reason that dorms close during break is so that staff have enough time to take their own breaks. Some resident assistants (RAs) and all area coordinators (ACs) still live on campus during academic breaks and are guaranteed a certain amount of vacation days in their compensation package. Additionally, facilities and Harper Cleaning Group clean residence halls and campus buildings over academic breaks and need to have a certain amount of time off from work for the holidays.
“A big reason historically in higher education that residence halls close is that behaviors tend to increase when we’re not in session,” said Ralph “RJ” Chittams, the director of Residence Life.
Why do the dorms close at the time they do?
Residence halls close at 1:00 PM on Wednesday December 15 for winter break. However, students should not wait until the last day to move off campus if their exams are completed before Wednesday. Chittams says that this is in part so that other students are not distracted during their own exams.
“Once I was done with classes I wanted to have fun, but me having fun impacted other people,” Chittams said. “Some students were still trying to study and sleep and get their work done. That’s why there’s such a quick turnaround for winter break. Let’s finish up our finals and clear out of here.”
How can students stay on campus over break?
Certain work crews require year-round upkeep such as the farm, the greenhouses, and other outdoor or facility crews. The Work Program Office (WPO) sends each crew their annual budget at the beginning of the fiscal year and this determines how many positions are available for hire over breaks.
Work contracts are typically advertised at 40 hours per week. However, crew supervisors can split contracts based on need. For example, if there is one 40 hour position open, the supervisor can choose to hire two 20 hour positions instead.
Shannon McNair, associate director of work at WPO, enthusiastically shared information about the work application and hiring process.
“Between weeks three and four we get those set up and ready to go,, and weeks five or six we post them up online for students to apply to,” said McNair. “Since there are pretty limited positions there’s usually only about a week or two weeks for folks to apply.”
Because positions are so limited for winter break, the winter work applications are released around week five or six and are open for only about one week.
“For us as long as you have work then you’ll be able to stay,” Chittams said. “The difference is that over the summer, if you don’t have a full time contract then you have to pay.”
Third year student and conservation biology major Freya Bairdsen earnestly shared their experience with applying for break housing.
“I think it’s pretty easy. I was definitely stressed about it before I knew what it entailed but it ended up being pretty simple,” said Bairdsen. “Over summer break, campus was really quiet. It was pretty nice. We got to pick who we lived with so I was living with friends.”
Does WWC offer housing exemptions?
Housing exemption forms are available for students who need an extra couple of days to pack up and get on the road. This request application closes on November 29. Chittams explained that there are certain situations that student life is willing to be flexible on, including international students, folks that live far away or cannot travel and those who are facing homelessness.
“Let’s formalize it, let’s request it, we’ll accept your request and what we ask is that when you get back to campus early don’t do dumb stuff,” said Chittams. “That’s the balance. We want to work with folks.”
Housing exemptions are no longer called hardship housing. This terminology came about due to the pandemic because as Chittams said, “(COVID-19) was something that was so imminent and so fast” that finding housing in the middle of March was not possible for everyone.
“If folks believe they have a hardship they can apply for an exemption when the halls close,” said Chittams. “It’s really invalidating to tell someone no when they’re dealing with a hardship because you’re basically saying their hardship isn’t hard enough.”
Because resources around campus are limited during breaks, students have additional stresses when it comes to affording a living.
“If I hadn’t gotten a 40--hour contract with the work program,, then I would have had to pay for the housing,, so at that point I would have tried to go home,” said Bairdsen. “I had to be making money;; I couldn't just be spending money.”
On the bright side
Chittams stated that some universities require all students to completely move out of residence halls over winter break. This includes fully emptying all personal belongings from dorm rooms and turning in keys to housing staff. WWC allows personal belongings to remain in student dorms and suites during campus closures.